U-T AND WEBSITE WIN SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISM AWARDS

U-T San Diego won 16 first-place awards, including the top award for breaking news, in the Society of Professional Journalists San Diego chapter’s annual contest. The 2013 SPJ awards were presented Thursday night at the Bali Hai on Shelter Island.

The U-T’s website,
utsandiego.com, garnered top honors as best news site and best entertainment site.

In the breaking-news category, staff members won for their first-day coverage of the death of former San Diego Charger Junior Seau. Of the piece, judges said, “A well-written and engaging story that worked well as a tribute to the man and a wrap-up of the news of the day, colored with wrenching detail.”

The U-T staff won a total of 32 awards.

The society honored Loren Nancarrow, veteran TV news reporter and anchor, with the Journalist of the Year Award for his career achievements.

Miriam Raftery, Jim Pelley and Parke Ewing of East County Magazine received the Sol Price Prize for Responsible Journalism for their piece, “Residents Complain of Dust Bowl, Third World Conditions at Pattern Energy’s Ocotillo Wind Site.” Raftery also garnered the James Julian Memorial Award for her story “Awash in Complaints, Residents Seek Protection From Wind Developer’s Actions.”

The Herbert Lockwood “Woody” Award recognizing the best humor writing went to Lee Swanson who writes the blog News, To Me.

The Diversity Prize went to Megan Burks of KPBS and Voice of San Diego. The First Amendment Award went to David Ogul of the Mission Times Courier.

The Daily Aztec at San Diego State University was judged best college newspaper.